The golfer I currently root for to win the most is Phil Mickelson. He is also the pro golfer I would most want to golf with. He's not a cold robot like Tiger. Tiger is unquestionably better, but he is way down on the list of pros I would want to spend time with.

The golfer I currently root for to win the most is Phil Mickelson. He is also the pro golfer I would most want to golf with. He's not a cold robot like Tiger. Tiger is unquestionably better, but he is way down on the list of pros I would want to spend time with.

The golfer I currently root for to win the most is Phil Mickelson. He is also the pro golfer I would most want to golf with. He's not a cold robot like Tiger. Tiger is unquestionably better, but he is way down on the list of pros I would want to spend time with.

I honestly can't think of anyone on the tour who'd be MORE fun to hang with than Tiger...I mean, c'mon...the dude clearly knows how to have a good time. Especially compared to guys like Johnson, Simpson, etc. who, while seem to be extremely good guys, are much more likely to be found in a bible study session than a bar.

To have had such an accomplished career and to be still competitive at his age is an inspiration to all old duffers like meself.

I also respect the fact that he, unlike so many Tour pros, had the courage to confront the racism of the golfing world when he resigned his membership from the Kansas City Country Club because of their exclusionary policies toward admitting Jews as members.

Tough one, but it has to be Jack Nicklaus. We're both from The Ohio State University, and he's the best of all time with the most major championships. There are a ton of other players I also enjoy watching, mainly Tiger Woods I guess and even Sergio Garcia when he's ball striking and behaving. I've always liked Freddie Couples smooth swing.

Mr. Excuses? What are you talking about? All he does is smile, sign more autographs than Tiger & Stricker combined, & acknowledge the crowd during a round. If you don't like that, fine. But don't make up crap to justify whom you like.

Mr. Excuses? What are you talking about? All he does is smile, sign more autographs than Tiger & Stricker combined, & acknowledge the crowd during a round. If you don't like that, fine. But don't make up crap to justify whom you like.

There have been PLENTY of times when Phil has skipped out on post-round press conferences after bad rounds, etc. Tiger almost never has. Phil is a good sport when he wants to be.

It's shocking people can't see right through his utterly manufactured "gee golly" bullshit persona.

It is shocking. However, I've resigned myself to assuming they simply don't want to see through it. They want to believe he is the antithesis to Tiger and every other athlete they hate, so there is a halo-effect in play for him.

Same thing happens in other sports. Two athletes can behave the same way under similar circumstances and one of the athletes will be labeled a selfish, spoiled athlete and the other a passionate leader.

Originally Posted by iacas
There have been PLENTY of times when Phil has skipped out on post-round press conferences after bad rounds, etc. Tiger almost never has. Phil is a good sport when he wants to be.

So does that make Phil more phony because he doesn't do his due diligence to the press?

Or does it make him less phony because his rounds affect him so much he skips a press conference because he's upset?

I bet some people will choose option 1.

I bet some will choose option 2.........

(Just to be clear, I'm finding my impression (albeit from interviews and on course behavior only) of most pro golfers is pretty positive, i see them as pretty much regular guys put into a big spotlight - that includes both these guys to some extent - they certainly aren't anything like many big time pro basketball and football stars for sure - even with the mindless and weird golf fans that follow them around)

So does that make Phil more phony because he doesn't do his due diligence to the press?

Or does it make him less phony because his rounds affect him so much he skips a press conference because he's upset?

I bet some people will choose option 1.

I bet some will choose option 2.........

(Just to be clear, I'm finding my impression (albeit from interviews and on course behavior only) of most pro golfers is pretty positive, i see them as pretty much regular guys put into a big spotlight - that includes both these guys to some extent - they certainly aren't anything like many big time pro basketball and football stars for sure - even with the mindless and weird golf fans that follow them around)

Still no Chi Chi fans yet?

I haven't posted my favorite, but I was saying last week (to myself ,after coming across this thread) that if I had to pick a golfer, it would be Chi Chi. I didn't even watch much golf as a kid, but when I did see it on TV, the only time I would watch was if Chi Chi was playing.

Then at some point when I was a few years older, I went to the only pro tournament I've ever been to. He made a birdie on 18, did his signature move, and then threw me the golf ball. That cemented it.

Regarding your rhetorical question: people will likely choose the option that reinforces their opinion of him.

Typical mindless Phil lover. There isn't a phonier professional athlete, let alone tour pro in the entire country. It's shocking people can't see right through his utterly manufactured "gee golly" bullshit persona.

Most importantly who would you rather drink with Phil or Tiger? Pretty f'ing obvious if you as me.

I agree 100%. I would much rather have a beer with Tiger. Phil reminds me of David Sims from Tin Cup (Relax...I'm not saying he hates old people and dogs). Phil just seems a little fake....maybe he is just a nerd, I don't know. But I like Tiger as a player and I like his persona. He has obviously done some bad things in his personal life but I really couldn't give to sh**'s about that. I like him for his game and on TV he seems like someone I would like to have a beer with, and of course play golf with.

GQ polled professional athletes to find the least popular among their peers. Here's what they said about Phil, who of course "won" least popular golfer.

Quote:

8. Phil Mickelson

Last August at the PGA Championship at Baltusrol, in New Jersey, a reporter turned to a golfer on the tour and said of Phil Mickelson, “Man, the fans here love Phil.” The golfer replied, “They don’t know him the way we do.” It blew our minds a little when we heard this, since Mickelson ranks among the most admired golfers in America. But today the same reporter makes his case bluntly: “Phil Mickelson literally has no friends out there. He annoys everybody.”

Mickelson has earned many nicknames on the Tour, but our favorite is FIGJAM (F__K, I’m good—just ask me). “There are a bunch of pros who think he and his whole smiley, happy face are a fraud,” another reporter says. “They think he’s preening and insincere.” Mickelson has aggressively pursued a family-man image that is crucial to his success as an endorser. In 1999, when he nearly won the U.S. Open, Mickelson wore a beeper onto the fairway to alert him when his wife went into labor. If the beeper went off during the ﬁnal round, he announced, he would simply walk off the course. Some of Mickelson’s peers, smelling a PR stunt, badly wanted to call his bluff. “Everybody’s saying, ‘Oh God, I want that beeper to go off,’ ” recalls one writer. (It didn’t.)

In 2003, Mickelson violated multiple taboos when he told a reporter that Tiger Woods was playing with “inferior equipment” and that he envied Mickelson’s longer drives from the tee. Woods was infuriated. “You just don’t say shit like that in golf,” says a reporter. (To be fair, another reporter says, “Phil was right.”)

Shortly before the 2004 Ryder Cup, though, Mickelson abruptly switched from Titleist to Callaway equipment. He left himself little time to get used to the new balls and clubs. “It wasn’t in the best interest of the team,” says a reporter. “The only thing that it was in the best interest of was his ﬁnancial gain.” The contract paid a reported $7 million to $10 million annually. “What it did was set up a bull’s-eye on him if he played poorly,” says a different reporter. “Which he did.”

Most recently, Mickelson blew off the 2005 Tour Championship, though the PGA was in the midst of negotiating its new TV contract. One reporter says, “The Tour was trying to come up with a plan that would make the networks happy, so it wouldn’t have to give back a lot of money, and here’s the number three player in the world skipping the premier season-ending event. Other players said, ‘How about helping the rest of us who aren’t as rich?’ ” Adds another reporter: “It’s like not showing up for somebody’s wedding.”